baxnett



(N0 Mpd el.)

v 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. D. BARNETT 82; DMBLAOK. MACHINE FOR GOMBING FIBER.

Patented May 10, 1892'.

I u a r l m n A v (No Model.) v 3 sham-sheet 2. D. BARNETT & D. BLACK.MACHINE FOR GOMBING FIBER.

No. 474,513. Patented May 10, 1892.

ms-unnms vz'rzns can mum-umui, WASHINGTON, u. c.

(No Model.) '3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

D. BARNETT & D. BLACK.

MACHINE FOR GOMBING FIBER.

No. 474,613. Patented May 10, 1892.

NITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID BARNETT AND DAVID BLACK, OF BRADFORD, ENGLAND.

MACHINE FOR COMBING FIBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,513, dated May 10,1892.

Application filed January 22, 1892. Serial No. 418,377. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, DAVID BARNETT and DAVID BLACK, subjects of theQueen of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing at Bradford, in thecounty of York,England, haveinvented certain Improvements in Machinesfor Combing Fiber, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for combing that class of fibersknown as ramie fiber or china-grass, and has for its object to renderthe machine compact, simple, and effective.

The invention consists in the combination, with the comb circle of anordinary woolcombing machine, of another comb-circle and in securingaround the circumference of each one or more lashing-heads, opposite toeach of which are a number of plates fitting into grooves cut in thecomb-circles 'for the purpose of holding the fiber during the lashingoperation, by which it is opened, straightened, and some of the looseand knotty portions removed therefrom. The fiber is then transferredfrom one comb-circle to the other by means of air-blasts, the portion offiber on the inside circumference of the first comb-circle being placedon the outside circumference of the second comb-circle to be lashed oropened out and the short and knotty portions removed, the straightenedfiber being finally drawn from the second comb-circle by rollers mountedand operated in the usual manner.

In describing our invention more in detail reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Figurel represents an elevation ofsuch portions of a combing-machine as will illustrate our novelcombination. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3, an enlarged sectionof the two comb-circles through line a b, Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sectionthrough the circle and press-plates for holding the fiber during theOperation of lashing, and Fig. 5 a front view of the pressplates andsupports for same.

All the mechanism supported by the frame A forms part of an old andwell-known type of wool-combing machine known as Listers, and isoperated in the same manner as heretofore. The fiber being fed over theapron A to the traveling fallers B is drawn therefrom by nip-platesmounted in the reciprocating frame 0 and deposited on the pins of thecombcircle D by the carrying-comb E. So far the description relates towhat are old and unaltered portions of the machine, to which no claim ismade.

The comb-circle D rotates in the direction of the arrow, and around theouter circumference of the same, between the points indicated by 0c 0:,one or more lashing-heads, hereinafter described is, or are secured. Inthe drawings, only one is shown for simplicity.

As is well known with this class of combingmachines, the carrying-comb Edeposits the major portion of the short and knotty fiber on or behindthe pins forming the inner diameter of the rows of teeth of comb-circleD,the long portion of the fiber F passing through and projecting beyondthe outer circumference of the comb-teeth somewhat as shown, so that onthe circle rotating it is brought in contact with the lashing-heads.Each lashinghead is driven by a pulley G, and is composed of one or morerollers H and an endless apron H, all of which are covered withcard-clothing. The endless apron H, traveling in the direction of thearrows, is supported at one end by a large roller H and at the other bya small roller placed near the circumference of the outer row of pinsforming the combcircle.

By mounting the endless apron H in the manner described the fiber F,projecting from the comb-pins of the-rotatin g circle, is brought intocontact with the teeth of the card-clothing of endless apron H, and bythe teeth of the card-clothing passing through the fiber it is opened.At the same time any loose or knotty portion is removed therefrom, whichfiber is cleared from the card-teeth of the endless apron H by thecard-teeth on rotating rollers H, from which it is stripped by theoscillating bar or doffer-knife K, constructed and operated in a similarmanner to the dotting-knife of an ordinary carding-machine.

In order to secure the fiber F to the combcircle D while the same isbeing lashed or opened out by the card-teeth on the endless apron H, acurved press-plate L is inserted between each two adjacent row of pinsof the comb-circle, the bottom edge of each plate terminating in agroove cut in the said circle, the press-plates being attached to therods R and pressed into said grooves by compressed springs S, supportedby brackets. Thus by these means the long portions of fiber are retainedin the circle during the operation of lashing out While the short andknotty fibers are being removed therefrom. On the fiber F arriving atthe point Where the two comb-circles D and M approach each other theportion of fiber projecting from the outer circumference of comb-circleD is blown upward by a current of air from the small pipe N,and byanother current from the flatended pipe P it is laid across thecomb-pins of the circle M, so that on the two combsseparatingthefiberisdrawn through the pins of the comb-circle D, therebyplacing the uncombed portion on the outside circumference of combcircleM, to be opened or lashed out, in the manner as before described, by thelashing head or heads attached around the circumference of the saidcomb-circle. Thus by these means the whole length of fiber staple isopened out and freed from short and knotty pieces, the cleansed fiberbeing finally d rawn from the pins of the comb-circle M by the verticaldrawing-0E rollers R, constructed and operated in the same manner asWhen applied tea combing-machine constructed in the ordinary manner.

What We claim as our invention is'= 1. In a combing-machine, acomb-circle plate having grooves cut thereinbetween the comb-pins,combined With press-plates L, springs S, and lashing-out endless apronsH, arranged substantially as specified.

2. The combination of comb-circles D and M with endless carding-apronsH, communieating therewith, and the Vertical and horizontal blowpipes Nand P, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of two adjoining grooved comb-circles withpress-plates L, engaging the grooves, endless carding-aprons H,communicating with the comb-circles, and blowpipes for transferring thefiber from one comb-circle to the other, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DAVID BARNETT. DAVID BLACK.

\Vitnesses:

J NO. GILL, WM. PREST.

